Ujjain: SAPAKS and other organisations gave nationwide call for ‘bandh’ on Thursday, businessmen of the city including grocery shop owners, restaurant owners, jewellers, bakers, grain merchants, medical stores owners, cloth merchants, crockery shop owners, petrol pump owners, mobile phone shops and other shop owners supported the ‘bandh’ voluntarily, as a result Sarafa Bazaar, Patani Bazaar, Kanthal, Freeganj, VD cloth market and other main markets across the city were closed completely.
SAPAKS, Karni Sena, Brahmin community and other socials organisations are protesting against unjust amendments in SC/ST (prevention of atrocities) Act. These organisations have already given a nationwide call for ‘bandh’ well in advance. However, the organisations did not include emergency services like vegetables supply, medicines, and hospitals in the range of ‘bandh’. Most of the schools of the city had already declared a holiday on Thursday and passively supported the ‘bandh’. Private bus owners did not support the ‘bandh’ and operated bus services however, the numbers of passengers were lesser than that of normal days.
Peaceful rally taken out
A peaceful rally was taken out by over 3,000 members of SAPAKS, Akhil Bhartiya Kshtriya Mahasabha, Akhil Bhartiya Brahmin Mahasabha, Akhil Bhartiya Vaishy Mahasabha and other organisations from Tower chowk. Members were raising slogans against caste based reservation in government jobs, education sector and other areas of career orientation and unjust amendments in SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The anti amendments placards were also seen in the hands of protestors. After a meeting which was held at tower chowk and a memorandum addressed to the President of India was handed over to the district administration. The attendance of employees in government offices was also reportedly fewer than the normal days; most of the employees took one day leave and passively supported the ‘bandh’.
Police beefs up security
In view of call for ‘bandh’ by many social organisations the police administration beefed up security across the city. Deployment of police was heavier at bus-stand, railway station, Chamunda square, Kanthal, Gopal Mandir, Patani Bazaar, Doulatganj, Topkhana, Begumbah, KD Gate and other areas of the city.
Stone pelting incident in village Jagoti
An incident of stone pelting was reported in village Jagoti under Raghvi police station. According to the police when the ‘bandh’ supporters reached to close a shop of some other community the dispute got violent and the supporters of the both the sides manhandled each other and pelted stones on one another. The police said the injured were hospitalized and a case was registered against the members of both the sides.